How is Huawei’s AI Revolution and Ascend 910D Challenging Nvidia Amid Global Challenges?
As we move deeper into the 2020s, one of the most compelling narratives in the technology world is Huawei’s ongoing efforts to dominate the Artificial Intelligence (AI) space. Despite mounting challenges, particularly from geopolitical tensions and restrictions, Huawei is pushing ahead with aggressive advancements in AI. From cutting-edge AI chips to revolutionary telecom infrastructure, the company’s ambitious vision is reshaping industries worldwide. This article delves into Huawei’s AI innovations, detailing its key developments up to April 2025 and how they are influencing the global tech landscape.
The Ascend 910D: Huawei’s Challenge to Nvidia’s Dominance
In the wake of ongoing U.S. sanctions, Huawei has shifted its focus to AI chips, developing the Ascend 910D. This chip is seen as the company’s flagship attempt to challenge Nvidia’s dominance in the AI semiconductor market. The new Ascend 910D is designed to compete with Nvidia’s powerful H100, a chip that has set the standard for AI workloads in sectors such as data centers and research institutions.
Although Huawei’s previous chips have faced performance issues compared to Nvidia’s offerings, the Ascend 910D is expected to introduce significant improvements. With a focus on integrated, high-performance systems rather than raw chip power, Huawei’s new AI infrastructure solution, CloudMatrix 384, integrates 384 Ascend 910C chips to create a powerful AI-driven network for enterprises. This system performs exceptionally well under specific conditions and is seen as one of the most ambitious attempts by Huawei to offer alternatives to Western technology.
Huawei has already shipped over 800,000 Ascend 910B and 910C units to domestic customers, including tech giants such as ByteDance. While there are still obstacles related to chip manufacturing, especially in light of the limited access to advanced lithography equipment, the company remains optimistic about its future in AI chip production.
Key Points:
- Ascend 910D: Huawei’s latest AI chip competing against Nvidia’s H100.
- CloudMatrix 384: A powerful AI system incorporating 384 Ascend chips for high-performance workloads.
- Manufacturing: Challenges in chip production, especially given the lack of advanced semiconductor manufacturing tools.
Read more about Huawei’s AI chip development here.
The Manufacturing Bottleneck: Navigating Challenges Amid Restrictions
The development of Huawei’s AI chips is constrained by the company’s access to advanced manufacturing tools, particularly those provided by Dutch company ASML, which produces the cutting-edge extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines necessary for creating advanced semiconductor nodes.
Huawei has been using semiconductor manufacturing partner SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation) for the production of its AI chips. However, SMIC has not yet been able to access the same EUV machines that companies like TSMC and Samsung use to produce the latest chips. As a result, Huawei’s AI chips, such as the Ascend 910 series, have faced yield and performance challenges. The Ascend 910C chip, produced on SMIC’s N+2 process, has an underwhelming yield of just 20%, significantly below the industry standard of 70%.
This bottleneck has prompted Huawei to rethink its strategy. The company is exploring alternative chip-making technologies, such as advanced packaging solutions, to mitigate the limitations of current semiconductor production techniques. While progress is slow, Huawei is optimistic that new innovations in system-level integration, such as its CloudMatrix platform, will make up for the shortcomings in chip-level performance.
Key Points:
- SMIC’s Role: Huawei relies on SMIC for chip production, though this partnership is constrained by limited access to advanced tools.
- Manufacturing Yield: Yield rates of Huawei’s AI chips remain suboptimal, making it a major hurdle for mass production.
- Strategic Shifts: The focus is moving from pure chip performance to building high-integrated AI systems capable of performing complex tasks.
Learn more about manufacturing challenges in the semiconductor industry.
AI Core Network: Huawei’s Vision for Telecom Infrastructure
At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025, Huawei unveiled its AI Core Network, the first network infrastructure to be fully powered by AI. This system is designed to make telecom networks more intelligent, capable of self-optimization and self-operation, significantly reducing the need for human intervention in maintenance and troubleshooting. This move aligns with Huawei’s broader vision to transform telecom infrastructure into “AI-native” systems capable of evolving autonomously based on real-time network demands.
The AI Core Network integrates multiple AI agents into a unified platform:
- Calling Agents: These agents interact with users, transforming traditional communication tools like dial pads into intuitive, AI-driven task managers.
- Experience Agents: These AI-powered agents monitor and adjust network resources dynamically, providing users with tailored experiences based on their needs and behaviors.
- Digital Expert Agents: These agents handle customer complaints and system alarms, streamlining operations and improving user satisfaction.
The launch of Huawei’s AI Core Network marks a leap forward in the telecom industry, moving from AI-enhanced networks to fully autonomous networks. This infrastructure will enable faster and more reliable connectivity, serving as the foundation for the next generation of telecom services, including 5G and beyond.
Key Points:
- AI-Driven Networks: Huawei is transforming telecom networks into fully AI-powered systems capable of autonomous operation.
- Multiple AI Agents: These agents manage everything from user experience to system troubleshooting.
- Industry Shift: The AI Core Network represents a major step toward fully autonomous telecom infrastructures.
Discover more about Huawei’s AI Core Network.
Huawei’s Strategic Expansion into AI-Powered Healthcare
Huawei’s focus on AI extends beyond chips and telecom infrastructure to critical sectors such as healthcare. At MWC 2025, the company demonstrated its latest AI-powered healthcare solutions. These solutions leverage AI to enhance patient care, improve diagnostics, and optimize hospital management. Huawei’s AI-powered platform supports over 5,600 healthcare facilities in more than 110 countries, helping to reduce costs and improve outcomes through predictive analytics and real-time data processing.
Among the innovations unveiled was a multi-modal data lake that aggregates patient information from a variety of sources, including medical imaging, wearables, and electronic health records. This platform uses machine learning algorithms to provide doctors with enhanced diagnostic capabilities and personalized treatment plans. Additionally, Huawei’s AI solutions have been integrated into DCS (Digital Control Systems) to streamline hospital operations, reducing waiting times and optimizing resource allocation.
The global healthcare industry stands to benefit from these advancements, particularly in emerging markets where access to healthcare professionals and resources is limited. Huawei’s AI-powered healthcare solutions are not just about improving technology—they are about making healthcare more accessible, efficient, and effective.
Key Points:
- AI in Healthcare: Huawei is leveraging AI to improve patient care, diagnostics, and operational efficiency.
- Multi-Modal Data Lake: The platform integrates data from various sources to provide personalized care.
- Global Reach: Huawei’s solutions are being implemented across more than 5,600 healthcare facilities worldwide.
Read more about Huawei’s AI healthcare innovations.
Overcoming Geopolitical Challenges and Seizing Opportunities
Despite facing harsh sanctions from the United States, Huawei is not backing down from its AI ambitions. U.S. restrictions have limited the company’s ability to access advanced semiconductor technologies and AI models developed by U.S.-based companies, but Huawei is taking steps to mitigate these challenges. For example, the company is focusing on inference technologies rather than the more complex AI model training, where Western companies currently hold a significant advantage.
Huawei is also turning to homegrown solutions to counter U.S. restrictions. Domestic Chinese companies like Cambricon and Huawei’s own Ascend platform are emerging as key players in the AI space, with their solutions beginning to fill the gap left by U.S. technologies. According to analysts, the global AI infrastructure market is expected to grow rapidly, with inference technologies (the processing of data by AI models) making up 70% of AI workloads by 2026. Huawei’s AI-powered solutions are well-positioned to capitalize on this growing segment, especially in markets where data security and technological sovereignty are becoming more important.
Key Points:
- U.S. Sanctions: Huawei is navigating restrictions on advanced semiconductor technologies imposed by the U.S.
- Inference Technologies: Focus is shifting to AI inference, where Huawei and Chinese firms are gaining ground.
- Self-Sufficiency: Huawei is part of a larger movement to achieve semiconductor supply chain independence by 2028.
Read more about Huawei’s strategies in overcoming geopolitical challenges.
Conclusion: Huawei’s Resilience and Future Prospects in AI
Huawei’s AI advancements in 2025 demonstrate the company’s resilience in the face of significant geopolitical and technological challenges. From AI chips to telecom networks and healthcare innovations, Huawei is positioning itself as a global leader in AI development. While the company continues to grapple with manufacturing hurdles and restrictions, its strategic focus on integrated AI systems and infrastructure solutions gives it a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.
As Huawei navigates the complexities of AI development, the company’s efforts are a testament to China’s growing technological self-sufficiency and determination to lead the way in AI and digital transformation. While Huawei faces stiff competition from global giants like Nvidia, its innovations in AI-powered systems and healthcare solutions have the potential to reshape industries worldwide.
The global AI race is only beginning, and Huawei’s commitment to advancing its AI capabilities, despite external obstacles, will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping the future of technology.
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